Centre Plans School-Led Push To Reach Girls For HPV Vaccine, Education Ministry To Ask Boards

Last Updated:March 12, 2026, 07:00 IST

Schools will be asked to help identify eligible beneficiaries and sensitise parents about cervical cancer prevention and the benefits of vaccination

The education ministry is set to rope in school boards across the country to actively promote the HPV vaccination campaign for adolescent girls.

News18 has learnt that the Centre is preparing to use schools as a key platform to reach out to girls, who are eligible for the jab against cervical cancer.

According to operational guidelines prepared for the rollout of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme, the ministry of education will work with national and state school boards to raise awareness on the prevention of cervical cancer and help mobilise girls aged 14 to get the vaccine.

The guidelines state that the ministry will issue directions to key school boards and education networks to support the campaign. These include CBSE, ICSE, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, along with government and private schools.

The document states that the ministry will “issue directions to NCERT, CBSE, ICSE, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) to promote HPV vaccine awareness across government and private schools and support the mobilization of the session site".

It states that schools will also be asked to help identify eligible beneficiaries and sensitise parents about cervical cancer prevention and the benefits of vaccination. For this, schools will coordinate with local health departments to map the number of girls turning 14 each year by using official education data.

The guidelines said the ministry will “ensure sharing of line-listing of schools having a number of eligible girls aged 14 using the UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education Plus) portal and planned parents teachers meeting (PTM) date with the local health department".

Schools will also organise parent outreach sessions to explain the importance of HPV vaccination, the document said. They should “encourage schools to appoint a nodal teacher for leading sensitisation efforts and act as liaisons with local health officials and organise special PTMs focused on HPV vaccination, where parents are informed about cervical cancer prevention, vaccine safety and benefits, nearby vaccination sites, vaccination dates and timings, and guide self-registration on the U-WIN portal".

It said “health and wellness ambassadors to be identified as nodal for HPV vaccination in addition to the overall role of school principal/headmaster".

Digital education platforms will also be used to circulate awareness material among teachers, students and parents.

Authorities will “leverage digital platforms such as UDISE+, DIKSHA and NISHTHA for displaying the IEC material on HPV vaccination".

MULTI-MINISTRY PUSH TO MOBILISE GIRLS

Alongside schools, the health ministry is preparing to involve multiple ministries and community networks to ensure the HPV vaccination campaign reaches eligible girls across the country.

The ministry of women and child development will use the anganwadi network to identify eligible girls and mobilise families for vaccination.

The guidelines state that anganwadi workers will “support ANMs (auxiliary nurse midwife) and ASHAs in conducting headcount surveys to prepare line lists of all eligible girls in their areas and support the mobilisation efforts and informing parents/guardian about the nearest health facility offering HPV vaccination".

In schools, teachers and students will also be involved in spreading awareness under the existing school health and wellness programme. To expand outreach in rural areas, the ministry of rural development will use the self-help group network under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission.

The guidelines said the authorities will “ensure functionaries of Aajeevika-NRLM to disseminate accurate information about the HPV vaccination campaign to village households through the SHG cluster federations, village federations, and individual SHGs."

They said the government is planning a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach for the HPV vaccination rollout, using schools, anganwadi centres, community networks and youth groups to maximise coverage among adolescent girls.

The HPV vaccination campaign, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 28, targets girls aged 14 across the country to protect them against cervical cancer.

Under the programme, the government is providing MSD’s Gardasil 4 vaccine free of cost through government health facilities. The drive is initially running in campaign mode for about 90 days and will later be integrated into routine immunisation.

The vaccine will be administered as a single dose, and the entire process – from beneficiary registration to certification – is being managed through the U-WIN digital platform. The government estimates that nearly 1.15 crore girls turn 14 every year and will form the annual cohort eligible for vaccination. The campaign focuses on girls who have turned 14 and not yet celebrated their 15th birthday.

News india Centre Plans School-Led Push To Reach Girls For HPV Vaccine, Education Ministry To Ask Boards

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